Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/tag/android,tablet/rss.xml
https://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif?cachebust=trueEngadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/tag/android,tablet/rss.xml
en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2017 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/21/dandd-reader-app-brings-paper-reference-books-to-your-tablet/https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/21/dandd-reader-app-brings-paper-reference-books-to-your-tablet/https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/21/dandd-reader-app-brings-paper-reference-books-to-your-tablet/#comments

Dungeon Masters can rest a bit easier now that the library of Dungeons and Dragons core rulebooks will soon be available in an easy-to-lug digital edition. Instead of a stack of heavy paper-bound volumes, you'll be able to take your iPad or Android tablet to your next gaming session loaded up with the upcoming D&D Reader app, which should be available this fall.

To date, Amazon's devices with hands-free voice control have been decidedly static. At last, though, they can go where you do. The internet shopping giant is launching an updated Fire HD 10, and it's the company's first tablet with hands-free Alexa built-in. If you want to turn down the lights or check the weather, you don't have to tap the screen or wander within earshot of an Echo. This is far from new in the mobile world (just ask anyone familiar with "hey Siri" or "OK Google"), but it's definitely helpful if you want access to Alexa's skills when your tablet is across the room.

AT&T would really, really like you to try DirecTV Now. So much so, in fact, that it's releasing a tablet where its streaming video services are the centerpiece. The Primetime is a mostly unremarkable 10-inch LTE slate in terms of hardware (more on that later), but it includes a TV Mode with quick access to favorite video apps from your home or lock screen -- naturally, AT&T hopes this means the preloaded DirecTV and DirecTV Now apps. You can use it to jump to the likes of Netflix or YouTube, of course, but the feature is clearly meant for the live TV crowd.

Samsung is continuing its quest to outdo Apple at the tablet game with the new Galaxy Tab S3. The $600/£599 Android slate improves on the already pleasant multimedia experience that the Tab S2 offered by packing a brilliant HDR display and four speakers tuned by AKG. It also comes with an S Pen for on-the-go scribbling. Plus, its beefy processor and long-lasting battery help the Tab S3 better take on rival flagships. But although I enjoy watching movies, playing games and sketching on the Tab S3, I still find its $600 price hard to swallow.

If it wasn't already clear that Lenovo is trying to cover every conceivable tablet niche, it is now. The tech giant has just introduced Tab 4 and Tab 4 Plus models that theoretically please everyone on a budget, ranging from parents to the productivity-minded. The 8- and 10-inch editions in each range can use an optional Kids Pack (a shock-resistant case, screen protectors and a blue light filter) to ready themselves for your little one's playtime. Suddenly, Amazon's Fire HD Kids tablets have fresh competition. And if you spring for one of the 10-inch tablets, there's a Productivity Pack whose Bluetooth keyboard and matching case automatically switch you to a work-oriented mode. No one will mistake the combo for a Surface, but it should be enough to get some quick office work done.

VTech's tablets and other kids' gadgets have always focused on creating a child-safe walled garden, but it's fallen far short of having an ecosystem like what children can get on an iPad or Amazon Fire Kids Edition. Its new Android tablet for children four and older opens things up a bit by allowing app downloads from outside the VTech ecosystem, as well as messaging with iOS and Android devices -- all with a parent's supervision.

The tablet market is increasingly skewing toward laptop replacements, but what if you want a replacement for a low-cost laptop? Lenovo thinks it has the answer. It's introducing the Yoga A12, a 12.2-inch tablet that's really a budget convertible laptop for the Android crowd. Think of it as a lower-priced but larger alternative to the Yoga Book. You won't find the earlier model's pen input or Windows 10 option, but you'll still get a very portable design (it's 0.21 inches thick at its slimmest point) that can fold into a slate when you're watching Netflix, or a laptop when you need to get work done. The trick, as with the Yoga Book, is a flat touch-sensitive keyboard that eliminates some of the usual physical bulk. We found the Book's keyboard hard to get used to, but it might be easier on the A12's larger, more comfortable surface.

Did you get some of your holiday gift shopping done on your phone, instead of your PC? You're far from alone. Adobe has determined that mobile shopping (both phone and tablet) was responsible for $1.2 billion in US online sales on Black Friday -- the first time it has ever crossed the $1 billion mark, in fact. It's still in the minority, representing 36 percent of the total $3.34 billion, but that's still a huge 33 percent spike over the shopping frenzy from last year.

Google isn't a fan of non-standard approaches to fast-charging Android phones over USB-C, and it's bent on having manufacturers fall in line. Its newest Android Compatibility Definition document (for Android Nougat) now says it's "strongly recommended" that device makers don't support proprietary charging technology that modifies voltages beyond standard levels, or otherwise creates "interoperability issues" with standard USB charging. In other words, tech like Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 is likely considered naughty. On top of that, the company warns that later versions of Android might even require full interoperability with standard chargers.

Apple's share of the tablet market has been sliding for a while, but it's making a comeback... if not for the reasons the company might prefer. Strategy Analytics estimates that the iPad climbed from 19.1 percent of the market in the third quarter of 2015 to 19.9 percent a year later. However, that's mainly because the market as a whole shrank 10 percent. The analysts believe that many tablet manufacturers' shipments dropped year-to-year, and that Apple simply experienced a smaller decline than most. The one major exception is Amazon, whose $49 Fire tablet helped its shipments more than double.

You buy a kid-proof tablet to give young ones a safe environment to play their favorite games and videos, so wouldn't it make sense to buy a tablet from an outfit making all that content? PBS thinks so: it's introducing the Playtime Pad, a self-branded Android slate (technically made by Ematic) that serves as a showcase for all its educational programming. It comes preloaded with over 25 PBS games and 120 videos, as well as preloaded PBS apps for streaming and creative play. Your children can watch Ready Jet Go without asking you to download something first, which might be important when they're looking for something to do in the middle of a road trip.

Ever since KitKat, Android has verified your device's boot process to make sure that rootkits and other forms of malware don't operate undetected. However, it hasn't done much more than alert you of potential problems (as of Marshmallow)... until now. Google explains that Android Nougat strictly enforces that boot check, giving you far more than just a warning. If your boot image or partition is corrupt, Android will either start in a limited-use mode (with your permission) or won't start at all. The feature will first show up in devices that ship with Nougat out of the box.

Buying a Nexus device straight from Google can be a little intimidating to newcomers. It's not as if you can visit a Google store or your carrier for help, after all. If an Android Policeleak is accurate, however, you might not have to. The Android creator is reportedly working on a Google Support app that would offer live help somewhat akin to Amazon's Mayday. If needed, you'd have the option sharing your screen with a service agent -- they could walk you through changing a setting without having to guess what you're looking at. It's not certain what else is in store, but it's safe to say that chat would be part of the experience.

Viacom is making good on its promise to parcel out its channels as individual services for cord cutters. It's launching a BET Play app that lets you watch the network's black culture programming for $4 per month on your Android and iOS devices. You'll largely end up watching shows like Chasing Destiny or Real Husbands of Hollywood on demand, but there is a smattering of live content. It has a live feed of BET Soul's music, and it'll be the only official way to livestream the BET Awards (conveniently, taking place on June 26th).

VLC for Android just became much, much more useful if you like full control over how and where you play your videos. The newly released VLC 2.0 rolls in a few big features that you may well have missed, most notably network browsing. Yes, you can find that elusive movie on your home media server. The upgrade also brings a pop-up video window that's helpful for tablet owners eager to multitask.

The latest version of Android just hit a big, big milestone. Google's early June developer stats have revealed that Marshmallow is now on just over 10 percent of Android devices, representing a huge jump from just 2.3 percent in March. Notably, only some of that surge can be credited to people upgrading from Lollipop. While the not-quite-current version's adoption did go down (to 35.4 percent), the biggest declines in usage were for Jelly Bean and KitKat. In essence: many of those moving to Marshmallow may well have been replacing devices that were 3 or more years old.

The Nokia brand will return to the smartphone market. Just as Microsoft announced it's offloading Nokia's old feature phone business to a Foxconn subsidiary and a mysterious Finnish company called HMD Global Oy, Nokia has revealed that HMD is also acquiring the relevant rights to use the Nokia name on smartphones and and tablets for the next ten years. That means we'll start seeing "Nokia-branded" phones and tablets very soon. And they'll be running Android.

Google has long made Nexus and Pixel C factory images available for people who just can't wait to install new Android versions (or want an alternative restore option). However, they've always come with a big gotcha: since it's a complete system image, you have to wipe your phone clean. You won't have to start from scratch after today, though. Google has posted over-the-air update images for all its currently supported Nexus and Pixel C devices, giving you the satisfaction of an immediate upgrade (no weeks-long waits here) without nuking all your data.

It's been almost a year since EE added a new tablet to its own-brand, avian-themed range -- or one aimed squarely at grown-ups, at least -- so you know what that means. With only refurbished Harrier Tabs left in stock, it's time for a new slate to become EE's value offering. At £120 on pay-as-you-go, the "Jay" is the cheapest homegrown tablet EE's ever launched; and it shows, at least when compared with the more powerful, larger-screened Harrier Tab.

At $50, we called Amazon's Fire tablet "incredible value" and a device "that sets a benchmark for budget slates." It was so cheap, in fact, that Amazon tried to sell them like a six-pack of beer. Now, the company is back with some new colors -- magenta, blue and tangerine -- and a 16GB option for those that want to download more than a handful of apps. To get the double storage, however, you'll need to pay an extra $20 over the regular asking price. There's also a new 16GB Kids Edition that costs $120.

What, did you think that you'd have to wait until Google I/O to see what the next version of Android would entail? In a pleasant surprise, Google is releasing Android N Preview to developers (and curious fans) today. The early release is meant to collect feedback sooner than usual, and even includes a new way to download the update. Instead of installing a drive image (you still can if you like), you can participate in an Android Beta Program that installs pre-release versions over the air. As long as you have a relatively recent Nexus device (from the Nexus 6 and 9 onward) or the Pixel C, you too can try the next big thing months before it's finished. So what's new, exactly?

At last, there's a new flavor of Android on top of the heap. Google has published updated stats which show that Lollipop is now the most-used version of Android, snagging 36.1 percent of device share in early March versus former champ KitKat's 34.3 percent. It's a big milestone that suggests many Android users are using a reasonably modern take on the mobile platform.

Lenovo and Google are hard at work on the first consumer-friendly Project Tango smartphone, but actually building the thing isn't the only hurdle that needs clearing. The bigger problem is an existential one: How do these huge companies convince people that spatial-sensing smartphones are worth buying over another shiny flagship? The key is building fun, useful experiences that are possible only with the fine-grained location data Tango devices can capture, and I got to play with a couple on a field trip to Barcelona's gorgeous Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.

ZTE's Android projectors have often seemed like answers to a question no one asked, but the company might have found an audience with the newly unveiled Spro Plus. The device combines a 500-lumen projector with an Android-based control system that includes an 8.4-inch AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 801 processor, optional LTE data and 128GB of expandable storage. In effect, it's a chunky mid-range tablet that can cast 80-inch images on your wall.